Audra Graziano

The Hardest Part is the Departure

AUDRA GRAZIANO

Audra Graziano – The Hardest Part is the Departure, represents a chance to view Graziano’s wonderful work in the Los Angeles area. It is a magical time to be a painter and there are several outstanding painters making new and important work. And Graziano is one of those and much of the work that holds my interest involves a multi-layered approach. In painting, this approach is defined by an accumulation of layers over layers and achieves its final form through a history of informed choices predicated on past decisions. The resulting complexity of the marks creates a fall into complete chaos and those informed choices become lost to the viewer. In this area, Graziano’s work fits perfectly and I feel very fortunate to have an exhibition of her work in our gallery.

Painting in all forms is one of the Art Department’s fundamental areas in educating artists. Having exceptional exhibitions of painting in our galleries helps to generate meaningful discussions and lifelong learning about the art of painting. The University Art Gallery’s programing supports our faculty’s teaching. It is through faculty recommendations that many exhibitions come to our galleries. This exhibition was recommended by my colleague, Assistant Professor of Painting, Mirabel Wigon. Professor Wigon and Graziano are both graduates of California State University, Long Beach and were both mentored by Professor Emerita, Marie Thibeault. Wigon had the following to say about Graziano’s work:

“I see in each of our work a joy of color that was fostered and cultivated by Marie. Audra’s work is deeply entrenched in the various modes of abstraction. She creates fragmented, shallow spaces that reinforce the surface. Silhouetted forms sequester pictorial space, creating a visually complex framework, that allows her to play chromatic shifts within negative spaces...”

“…Each piece echoes light passing through stained glass. Color has cultural significance, psychological reflection, and physiological effects on the body. To me, the paintings act as entry way to the beyond and an introduction to Audra’s interior psyche.”

I would like to thank the many colleagues that have been instrumental in presenting this exhibition. Audra Graziano for the chance of exhibiting her amazing work, Mirabel Wigon for recommending Graziano exhibition and Kory Twaddle, our Gallery Assistant for her tireless work in organizing and arranging the show details. I would also like to thank, Brad Peatross of the School of the Arts and California State University, Stanislaus for the catalog design and Stan State Print Shop for the printing this catalog. I would also like to thank the Instructionally Related Activates Program of California State University, Stanislaus, as well as anonymous donors for the funding of the exhibition and catalogue. Their support is greatly appreciated.

Dean De Cocker, Director

University Art Gallery

California State University, Stanislaus

Ray Optics, Oil and Acrylic on Canvas, 60” x 48”, 2015

ARTIST STATEMENT

My work grows from an interest in how experiences layer upon each other over the course of time. By overlapping multiple forms on a single canvas, I find a connection with the space that exists when viewing one through another. The work begins to come together with the passage from one arrangement to the next. Through the buildup and removal of paint, the space in the work becomes as much about what is visible as what is no longer apparent, and what is there related to what has been taken away. For me, it is a process that serves as metaphor for how experiences overlap over time to create memory, and how that configuration of events moves with us into the present moment.

BIO

Audra Graziano (b. 1981, Massachusetts) is an abstract painter and educator based in Los Angeles, California. Her work has been exhibited in solo and group exhibitions throughout the United States and abroad, including The San Diego Art Institute, University of Arizona Museum of Art, the University Art Museum at California State University Long Beach, and galleries in New York, Los Angeles and Berlin. She received her MFA from California State University Long Beach in 2014, graduating with the College of the Arts Distinguished Achievement in Creative Activity Award. She earned her BFA from Pratt Institute in 2003, graduating with the Pratt Institute Fine Art Award for Outstanding Merit in Painting and the Pratt Circle Award for Academic Achievement. She currently serves as Associate Professor of Painting and Drawing in the Fine Arts Division at Cerritos College.

Photo Credit: Bob Demers

Interference, Oil and Acrylic on Canvas, 42” x 42”, 2023

Previous page: Interference (detail)

Waypoint, Oil on Canvas, 40” x 40”, 2023

True Gail, Oil on Canvas, 30” x 30”, 2023

Roundabout, Oil and Acrylic on Canvas, 48” x 48”, 2024

As I Lay Sleeping, Oil on Canvas, 38” x 48”, 2017

Sláinte, Oil and Acrylic on Canvas, 30” x 30”, 2017

Inside Story, Oil and Acrylic on Canvas, 30” x 30”, 2024

Previous page: Toora-Lorra-Li (detail)

Toora-Lorra-Li, Oil on Canvas, 46” x 48”, 2017

Other End of the Line, Oil on Canvas, 40” x 40”, 2016

Heading Southie, Oil on Canvas, 40” x 40”, 2016

What May, Oil on Canvas, 48” x 48”, 2015

Waterspout, Oil on Canvas, 40” x 40”, 2016

Speedway Flash, Oil on Canvas, 40” x 40”, 2016

Freewheel, Oil and Acrylic on Canvas, 30” x 30”, 2024

Both Sides Now, Oil on Canvas, 40” x 40”, 2016

Previous page: Freefall (detail)

Freefall, Oil on Canvas, 48” x 60”, 2015

Transition One, Oil on Canvas, 40” x 40”, 2016

Blue Valentine, Oil on Canvas, 30” x 30”, 2018

Little Butterfly, Oil on Canvas, 24” x 24”, 2018

AUDRA GRAZIANO CV

EDUCATION

2014 California State University, Long Beach, MFA

2003 Pratt Institute, BFA

SELECTED SOLO AND TWO PERSON EXHIBITIONS

2024 The Hardest Part is the Departure, Stan State Art Space, California State University Stanislaus (solo exhibition)

2018 Kaori Takamura & Audra Graziano, Stark Gallery, Xavier College Preparatory, Phoenix, AZ

2016 Southie by Southwest, Lionel Rombach Gallery, University of Arizona, Tucson AZ (solo exhibition)

2014 Off-Line, Max L. Gatov Gallery, California State University, Long Beach, CA (solo exhibition)

2010 Audra Graziano: Recent Works, Indie Collective Gallery, Culver City, CA (solo exhibition)

2009 Recent Paintings, New City Art Space, Los Angeles, CA (solo exhibition)

SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS

2024 Cerritos College Faculty Exhibition, Cerritos College Art Gallery, Norwalk, CA

2019 Winter Group Show, Lora Schlesinger Gallery, Santa Monica, CA

Local Notions, juried by Kristina Newhouse, Angles Gate Cultural Center, Los Angeles, CA

2017 Kamikaze Dérive (Nobody Walks in LA), curated by Lawrence Gipe, PØST, Los Angeles, CA

Abstraction in the Singular, curated by Grant Vetter, Bentley Gallery, Phoenix, AZ

Abstract Miniatures, curated by Grant Vetter, Fine Art Complex 1101, Tempe, AZ

2016 M.A.S. Attack with ATRA Curatorial, Fine Art Complex 1101, Tempe, AZ

2015 University of Arizona School of Art Faculty Exhibition, University of Arizona Museum of Art, Tucson AZ

Homing Pigeon: Edition 4: Kyoto, curated by Kio Griffith, Gallery Antenna, Kyoto, Japan

M.A.S. Attack 8, curated by Max Presneill & Kio Griffith, San Diego Art Institute, San Diego, CA

Cerritos College Faculty Exhibition, Cerritos College Art Gallery, Norwalk, CA

2014 M.A.S. Attack 7, curated by Max Presneill & Kio Griffith, Santa Monica Airport Art Studios, Santa Monica, CA

Insights 2014, University Art Museum, California State University, Long Beach

2013 Wall of Trees, For Your Art, Los Angeles, CA

Monster Drawing Rally, Armory Center for the Arts, Pasadena, CA

Insights 2013, University Art Museum, California State University, Long Beach

2012 Insights 2012, University Art Museum, California State University, Long Beach

2011 Three New Paths, Marilyn Werby Gallery, California State University Long Beach

2010 Paper Trail, curated by Paul Evans and Heather Arndt, Happy, Los Angeles, CA

Feed the Kitty, juried by Salon ACNY, Spattered Columns, New York, NY

Orpheus Descending, Theatre / Theater, Los Angeles, CA

2007 5, The Stitch Project, curated by Juliet Gabrielle, Berlin, Germany

3.0, The Stitch Project, curated by Juliet Gabrielle, Brooklyn, NY

2006 Gift Box: Benefit for White Box Gallery, Robert Miller Gallery, New York, NY

Binge and Purge, curated by Noel Heberling, Magnan Projects, New York, NY (Part Duex), The Stitch Project, curated by Juliet Gabrielle Brooklyn, NY

2005 Art for the Heart of New Orleans, Spring Gallery, Brooklyn, NY

AWARDS, GRANTS, RESIDENCIES AND LECTURES

2023 Alumni Panel Discussion, California State University Long Beach

2017 Artist Panel Discussion, Abstraction in the Singular, Bentley Gallery, Phoenix AZ

2015 Artist in Residence, Lehrer Architects, Los Angeles, CA

Abstraction in Painting through Architecture, Artist Talk, Lehrer Architects, Los Angeles, CA

2014 Distinguished Achievement in Creative Activity Award, College of the Arts, California State University, Long Beach

2013 Windes and McClaughry Corporate Gallery Award

Elizabeth Vyse Scholarship, California State University, Long Beach

California State University Grant

2011 Artist Residency, ChaNorth, Pine Plains, NY

Windes and McClaughry Corporate Gallery Award

2003 Pratt Institute Circle Award for Academic Achievement

Pratt Institute Fine Art Award for Outstanding Merit in Painting

SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY

2023 Academy World Spring 2023, Alumni in the Arts: The Art of Storytelling, Kyle O’Brien

2019 Random Length News, “Angels Gate Cultural Center’s Got Local Notions”, Andrea Serna

Cerritos College Faculty Exhibition Catalog, Los Angeles, CA

2017 Art Ltd., “Abstraction in the Singular” at Bentley Gallery, Deborah Ross, Phoenix New Times, You Need to See These 10 Spring Art Shows in Metro Phoenix, Lynn Trimble UA News, Audra Graziano Speaking at Bentley Gallery

Java Magazine, “Abstraction in the Singular” at Bentley Gallery, Amy Young

Arizona Foothills, Abstraction in the Singular Opens at Bentley Gallery, Nicole Royse

2016 UA News, Audra Graziano: Learning Fundamentals, Breaking Rules, La Monica Everett-Haynes

2015 Cerritos College Faculty Exhibition Catalog, Los Angeles, CA

2011 Greater LA MFA (GLAMFA) Catalog, Long Beach, CA

2009 Acidemic Journal of Film and Media, New York, NY

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, STANISLAUS

Dr. Susan E. Borrego, President

Dr. Richard Ogle, Provost/Vice President of Academic Affairs

Dr. James A. Tuedio, Dean, College of the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences

DEPARTMENT OF ART

Martin Azevedo, Associate Professor, Chair

Dean De Cocker, Professor

James Deitz, Lecturer

Daniel Edwards, Associate Professor

Jessica Gomula-Kruzic, Professor

Dr. Alice Heeren, Assistant Professor

Chad Hunter, Lecturer

Dr. Carmen Robbin, Professor

Ellen Roehne, Lecturer

Dr. Staci Scheiwiller, Associate Professor

Susan Stephenson, Associate Professor

Jake Weigel, Associate Professor

Mirabel Wigon, Assistant Professor

Alex Quinones, Instructional Tech II

Matt Hayes, Equipment Technician II

UNIVERSITY ART GALLERIES

Dean De Cocker, Director

Kory Twaddle, Gallery Assistant

SCHOOL OF THE ARTS

Brad Peatross, Graphic Specialist II

April 3–May 3, 2024 | Stan State Art Space, California State University, Stanislaus | 226 N. First St., Turlock, CA 95380

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written permission of the publisher. This exhibition and catalog have been funded by Associated Students Instructionally Related Activities, California State University, Stanislaus.

Audra Graziano